Minnesota battles Atlanta for WNBA Championship

Minneapolis, MN (SportsNetwork.com) - The Minnesota Lynx will meet the Atlanta
Dream in the WNBA Finals for the second time in three years, starting on
Sunday.

These two teams clashed in the 2011 championship round. The Lynx, who are
playing in their third straight Finals, swept the Dream two years ago, and the
Finals have been a nightmare for the Dream.

Atlanta made it to the championship round for the third time in four years. In
2010, the Dream fell to the Seattle Storm, also in three games. In both Finals
losses, Atlanta watched the opposition celebrate on its home floor.

That definitely won't be an issue in 2013.

Game 3, and Game 4, if necessary, will be staged at Gwinnett Arena in Duluth,
Georgia. The Dream's regular home building, Philips Arena, will be hosting
Disney on Ice.

The two squads split their two regular-season meetings with each team
defending its home floor. Both wins were double-figure margins.

The Lynx finished with the best record in the WNBA at 26-8, which was
strengthened by a 15-2 home mark. Minnesota had three players earn MVP votes
in Maya Moore, who finished second to Candace Parker, Lindsay Whalen and
Seimone Augustus.

Minnesota, which lost to the Indiana Fever in last season's Finals, swept both
the Storm and Phoenix Mercury to reach the Finals.

The Dream finished tied with Washington for second in the Eastern Conference
during the regular season with a 17-17 record. Atlanta was 13-4 at home and
4-13 on the road.

Angel McCoughtry is the Dream's leading scorer and came in fifth in MVP
voting. Erika de Souza, Atlanta's center, injured her ankle in Sunday's win
against the Fever, but finished the game.

The Dream toppled the Washington Mystics in the first round, before knocking
over the defending champs.

The Finals begin Sunday night at 8:30 p.m. ET in Minnesota. Game 2 will be
Tuesday, also at the Target Center, before the teams head south for Game 3 in
Georgia.